schedule mammas

silvie25mar

So I've been a bit of a schedule mamma since dd was born. She is just turning 9 months. I credit her great sleeping habits STTN since 8 weeks and pretty much everything else to the schedule I have her in, and she's always hungry when its mealtime and knows when its naptime.
Anyway, lots of moms kinda frown upon it and say you'll be in for a surprise later. But how so?
Yes I admit, I do stress out a bit if she doesn't fall asleep at the exact time she does for naptime because I get worried she won't sleep later and it will just be a pattern. But I don't think I realllllly freak out, I just want her to keep the same routine. I know its inevitible that somewhere down the road she will break it somehow but right now it works.
My question is, moving forward from this age what can I expect from naps from a baby who has been STTN a well as length of night sleeps. Currently she sleeps from 845pm to 730pm, has an hour nap from 930am, and two 30 min naps at 1245pm and 4pm.

silvie25mar

ninthgirl:

Agree that it's odd for a 9 month old to still be taking 3 naps.nbsp; Most babies transition to 2 naps by 8 months old.nbsp; If your baby does well with a BTC schedule and wakes up at 7:30, I'd distribute your 2 naps evenly between the day.nbsp; You could also aim for a modified 2/3/4 schedule and keep nap 1 and 9:30, then do nap 2 about 3 hours after nap 1 ends and bedtime about 4 hours after nap 2 ends adjust those times based on your preferences.My baby does much better with wake times as my guide.nbsp; This means that her nap starts and ends move, but I find that if I keep her awake too long or too short then she has problems sleeping at night.

Hmm. I guess you guys are right. How can I consolidate the naps? So far her schedule has been working for us but maybe consolidating naps isn't a bad idea. I just don't want to force her to stay awake to try and balance those naps into two instead of three. She'll almost always sleep for 1 hour from 930 1030ish. So I guess those two cat naps in the afternoon can be put into one, at say 2pm. But how can I get around keeping her up from dozing off at her usual 1230?

She does go to bed at 830pm, and wakes up at 730am. Some say that's late but works for us. For now anyway.

mben1119

We never had a schedule with DS, and he made his own. He started STTN at 6 months, consolidated to 2 naps a day around 7 or 8 months, and went down to 1 nap a day around 10 months. He still STTN, but the great thing about having a flexible baby is we can go out and get things done, but they don't need to be done around his schedule. He'll eat pretty much whenever, nap once he gets sleepy and his surroundings are (mostly) quiet, and this way we get to have a pretty active social life.

crystaleyes39

I always believe go by your childs lead. If she's ready for 2 naps she'll show you. Maybe just try pushing her afternoon nap back a half hour - 45 min. the first time and than maybe she'll sleep longer since she'll be more tired...that way you wont have to do the 3rd nap? When we first switched to 2 naps my girls would get so crabby by 5pm so we pushed dinner time back and then did baths to keep them awake until their bedtime routine. That ended up helping until they got used to staying up longer w/out a 3rd nap. Good luck.

And as far as a schedule. I have twins and I really believe a schedule is why both my girls do so well with naps and STTN since 3 months or so. I have friends w/ one baby that is months older than my girls and still struggle night feedings and not sleeping through the night because they didn't keep to a schedule. Granted we have days that naps dont go as planned and usually those night they are more crabby and don't go right down to bed but for the most part I dont go off our schedule.  For people that judge or think you're too catering to your kids..dont have to be the one home with them at night and can get a full nights sleep. So who cares what their opinion is.

acaudill75

I adhere to my nighttime ritual like white on rice. DH is more lax, but still within 15-30 minutes of when I would get things done. DD2 is in DC, and generally takes 1-2 naps whenever she wants to, but usually around 12-2 if just one. That is because the DC workers need a break. At home, she naps 2 times a day, whenever she shows signs of being tired, rubbing her eyes and ears and being fussy. The length of the nap varies. At night, she gets bathed when we get home, some food if she is still not ready to go to sleep (they feed her literally right before I pick her up), and she is usually in bed by 6. I will wake her for a 10-11 pm bottle so that she will STTN, and then she generally wakes up about 5:30-6 am. I recently dropped her early morning bottle, and have been holding off giving her a bottle in the early evening, and she adjusted well to that. Seems sleep trumps hunger with her. I think kids crave routine, and there will children who want to run amok. For the most part, kids without some sort of routine don't know what to expect and are less likely to go along with the plan. That's not to say you should be flexible. Eventually you are going to have to go to the grocery store when LO is supposed to have a nap, and your child needs to be able to handle that. Perhaps your friends are referring to older children and the good luck with that attitude is meant for down the line. DD1 won't take a nap, and hasn't taken once since about 18 months. Just refuses. But, she will go to sleep at 7 pm, and then stay in her bed and be happy until 8 am the next morning. Every single thing in her room is in her bed when I go to get her, but she doesn't try to leave her room (yet) and doesn't make a fuss. You do you, and don't worry about what works for your friends. I bet things aren't so hippity hoppity as they make it seem.